The Prayer Whiteboard
Speaking Spirits, Dominion, and the Greater Life in Christ
August 1, 2026
Believers are speaking spirits made in God’s image, called to govern the soul and body, speak His Word, and exercise dominion through Christ.
God created human beings in His image as speaking spirits with the ability to exercise authority through their words. Adam and Eve originally lived in harmony with God, with their spirits governing their souls and bodies. Although that order was disrupted through the Fall, believers have received something greater through Jesus Christ: a born-again spirit, the indwelling Holy Spirit, the gift of righteousness, eternal life, and union with the Lord. This teaching explores how believers can live from that spiritual position by speaking God’s Word, practicing His presence, taking dominion within, and standing firmly in the freedom Christ has provided.
We Are Speaking Spirits
The Power of Words
Human beings are speaking spirits. Unlike the rest of creation, mankind was made with the ability to speak meaningfully and exercise authority through words. Our speech does more than communicate; it helps direct the course of our lives.
Words can be compared to the rudder of a ship. Just as a small rudder directs a large vessel, words can influence the direction a person takes.
Because of this, believers should listen to what they are saying and recognize when they are speaking things they do not truly want established in their lives.
Core Truths
- Human beings were designed to speak.
- Words carry spiritual importance.
- Our words can help direct the course of our lives.
- We must learn to recognize and correct speech that disagrees with God.
- Believers were made to speak God’s Word and proclaim Jesus.
The Tongue Directs Our Course
A small rudder turns a large ship, and the tongue can likewise influence the direction of a life.
James 3:4–5 (ESV)
Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!
Every Idle Word
Jesus taught that people will give account for every idle word they speak.
Matthew 12:36 (AMPC)
But I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak.
What Has Eternal Value
The fire of God tests each person’s work. What is worthless is removed, while what has eternal value remains and receives reward.
This is God removing the “junk” from our lives, not something believers should dread.
1 Corinthians 3:12–15 (AMPC)
12 But if anyone builds upon the Foundation, whether it be with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
13 The work of each [one] will become [plainly, openly] known (shown for what it is); for the day [of Christ] will disclose and declare it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test and critically appraise the character and worth of the work each person has done.
14 If the work which any person has built on this Foundation [any product of his efforts whatever] survives [this test], he will get his reward.
15 But if any person's work is burned up [under the test], he will suffer the loss [of it all, losing his reward], though he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has passed] through fire. [Job 23:10.]
Believers must begin to think of themselves as people called to rule and reign in life, not merely survive it.
Romans 5:17 (AMPC)
17 For if because of one man's trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God's] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
Adam Exercised Dominion Through Speech
Adam provides an example of a speaking spirit exercising dominion.
One of Adam’s first recorded assignments was naming the animals. This was not merely an exercise in vocabulary; it demonstrated the authority and dominion God had given him over creation.
- Adam was created in God’s image.
- He possessed wisdom and understanding given by God.
- Naming the animals was an expression of authority.
- His words were connected to his responsibility to govern the earth.
- Dominion was a central part of mankind’s original calling.
God created mankind in His image and gave them dominion over the earth.
Genesis 1:26–28 (AMPC)
26 God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. [Ps. 104:30; Heb. 1:2; 11:3.]
27 So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. [Col. 3:9, 10; James 3:8, 9.]
28 And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.
God’s Name in DNA
Believers are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.
Ephesians 2:10 (AMPC)
For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].
God created mankind in His own image.
Genesis 1:27 (AMPC)
So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. [Col. 3:9, 10; James 3:8, 9.]
Familiar With God’s Presence
Adam and Eve Became Familiar With God’s Presence
Adam and Eve lived in a perfect environment and walked with God. They knew His voice and had already received clear instructions concerning the forbidden tree.
When the serpent began questioning God’s command, they could have returned to God and asked Him for guidance. After all, they already knew what He had said.
Their familiarity with God’s presence may have contributed to their failure to fully value what they had.
The Danger of Familiarity
- Adam and Eve lived in paradise.
- They walked with God personally.
- They had already been told not to eat from the tree.
- The enemy questioned what God had spoken.
- Instead of returning to God for truth, they acted independently.
- Familiarity with God’s presence can become dangerous when His Word is no longer reated as precious.
God clearly warned Adam concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2:16–17 (AMPC)
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, You may freely eat of every tree of the garden;
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and blessing and calamity you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.
The serpent questioned God’s Word, and Adam and Eve chose to disobey.
Genesis 3:1–6 (AMPC)
1 NOW THE serpent was more subtle and crafty than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made. And he [Satan] said to the woman, Can it really be that God has said, You shall not eat from every tree of the garden? [Rev. 12:9-11.]
2 And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit from the trees of the garden,
3 Except the fruit from the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.
4 But the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, [II Cor. 11:3.]
5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil and blessing and calamity.
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good (suitable, pleasant) for food and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave some also to her husband, and he ate.
Before The Fall
Spirit, Soul, and Body
Before sin entered the world, Adam and Eve’s spirits had full dominion over their souls and bodies.
There was no internal conflict between:
• What their spirits knew
• What their minds thought
• What their bodies desired
Their entire being functioned in harmony with God.
The intended order
1. The spirit receives from God.
2. The soul—mind, will, and emotions—follows the spirit.
3. The body follows the direction of the soul.
After the Fall, this order was disrupted. In the born-again believer, it must be progressively restored.
💡 The Spirit’s Dominion Within
The believer’s most important field of dominion is often not the world outside but the soul within.
The renewed spirit must increasingly govern:
• Thoughts
• Emotions
• Schedules
• Desires
• Reactions
• Physical behavior
The believer learns to pause and ask:
• What does the Lord want?
• What is the Spirit saying?
• Am I being led by my schedule, emotions, or natural desires?
• Is my soul following my spirit?
What Adam and Eve Had
Adam and Eve possessed several things that believers do not presently experience in their earthly surroundings.
They had:
- Paradise
- A perfect environment
- Innocence
- Direct fellowship with God
- No sickness
- No death
- No conflict between spirit, soul, and body
- No strife between one another
- Dominion over the earth
- Face-to-face fellowship with God
They walked with God in the cool of the day and lived without the pressures of a fallen world
Genesis 3:8 (AMPC)
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
What We Have Now
What Believers Have That Adam and Eve Did Not Have
Believers in Christ possess spiritual realities that Adam and Eve did not have before the Fall.
Adam and Eve walked with God, but born-again believers have God dwelling within them.
They were innocent, but believers have received the gift of righteousness.
They knew God as Creator, but believers know Jesus as Savior and Redeemer.
Believers have:
- A born-again spirit
- Union with the Lord
- The indwelling Holy Spirit
- The gift of righteousness
- The abundance of grace
- Knowledge of redemption
- The forgiveness of sins
- The privilege of repentance
- Revelation through the written Word
- A personal relationship with Jesus as Savior
- Authority to reign in life through Christ
- Eternal life that cannot be destroyed by physical death
Jesus did not merely restore what Adam lost. Through salvation, He brought believers into something greater.
Innocence Compared With Righteousness
Adam and Eve were right with God because they were innocent. They had not yet sinned.
Believers, however, possess something different: the gift of God’s righteousness through Christ.
Innocence means no wrong has yet been committed. Righteousness in Christ means the believer has been placed in right standing with God through the finished work of Jesus.
Main distinction
- Adam and Eve possessed innocence.
- Believers receive righteousness.
- Their standing depended upon continued obedience.
- The believer’s standing is based upon Christ.
Believers must begin to think of themselves as people called to rule and reign in life, not merely survive it.
Romans 5:17 (AMPC)
17 For if because of one man's trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God's] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
Choosing Jesus in a Fallen World
Choosing Jesus in a Fallen World Glorifies God
Adam and Eve lived in paradise, where everything around them supported fellowship with God.
Believers live in a fallen world where sin, distraction, pressure, and temptation continually pull against them. Because of this, each decision to turn toward Jesus becomes a meaningful exercise of free will.
Choosing Jesus Glorifies God
Every time believers choose to:
- Worship
- Pray
- Speak the Word
- Sing to the Lord
- Listen to worship music
- Think about God while completing ordinary tasks
- Obey instead of following the flesh
- Love God in difficult circumstances
they bring glory to Him.
Even ordinary choices matter eternally. Choosing Jesus while washing dishes, driving, working, or caring for others is still worship.
Practicing the Presence of God
Brother Lawrence was a 17th-century Christian monk who became known for practicing an awareness of God’s presence while performing ordinary, everyday tasks. He believed that everything he did—even the simplest work—could be offered as an act of love for God.
Brother Lawrence compared this way of living to a parent caring for a child. A parent may wash dishes simply because the child needs clean dishes. The task itself is ordinary, but the parent’s love gives it meaning. In the same way, believers can turn even the most ordinary work into an expression of love for God.
We always have a choice to love Him.
Matthew 22:37 (AMPC)
37 And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). [Deut. 6:5.]
Whatever believers do should be done heartily, as unto the Lord.
Colossians 3:23 (AMPC)
23 Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men,
Believers Are One Spirit With the Lord
Adam and Eve walked with God, but they were not described as being one spirit with Him in the way born-again believers are.
One of the greatest differences between Adam’s original relationship with God and the believer’s union with Christ.
One Spirit With the Lord
1 Corinthians 6:17 (AMPC)
17 But the person who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.
Adam and Eve
- Walked with God
- Heard His voice
- Lived in His presence
- Had spirits alive toward Him before the Fall
Born-again believers
- Are joined to the Lord
- Are one spirit with Him
- Have the Holy Spirit dwelling within
- Carry God’s presence continually
- Do not merely receive occasional visits from God
The contrast can be summarized this way:
God walked with Adam and Eve during part of the day, but He lives within believers at all times.
The Greater Life in Christ
The Gift of Repentance and Forgiveness
Believers sometimes view repentance only through sorrow, regret, or condemnation.
Repentance and forgiveness are glorious gifts that make it possible to return immediately to fellowship with God.
When a believer recognizes that something is wrong:
- The response should not be prolonged self-condemnation.
- The believer should turn back to God.
- Receive forgiveness.
- Make the needed adjustment.
- Continue walking with Him.
God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse
1 John 1:9 (AMPC)
9 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].
Every movement back toward God is an expression of grace.
Romans 8:1 (AMPC)
1 THEREFORE, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.[John 3:18.]
Divine Love Flows From the Spirit
Adam and Eve experienced natural love and unhindered relationship, but believers have access to divine love through the Holy Spirit.
The Love Flow
This love can flow toward:
- Children
- Family members
- Friends
- People for whom we pray
- Those who are difficult to love
- Those who need spiritual care
The illustration of caring for a baby demonstrates how love causes someone to act even when it is inconvenient. A parent gets up during the night because love moves them.
Divine Love Moves Us
In the same way, divine love moves believers to:
- Pray
- Serve
- Forgive
- Give
- Help
- Remain faithful
- Perform ordinary tasks for God
God's Love is IN US
Romans 5:5 (AMPC)
......God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.
Love One Another
John 15:9–12 (AMPC)
9 I have loved you, [just] as the Father has loved Me; abide in My love [continue in His love with Me].
10 If you keep My commandments [if you continue to obey My instructions], you will abide in My love and live on in it, just as I have obeyed My Father's commandments and live on in His love.
11 I have told you these things, that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy and gladness may be of full measure and complete and overflowing.
12 This is My commandment: that you love one another [just] as I have loved you.
Adam and Eve Faced Death; Believers Have Eternal Life
When Adam and Eve sinned, spiritual death entered their experience, separating them from the life of God. Although they continued to live physically for many years, physical death had also entered their existence and would eventually follow. In this way, death affected them in two dimensions: spiritually and physically.
Born-again believers, however, possess eternal life.
John 11:25–26 (AMPC)
25 Jesus said to her, I am [Myself] the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on) Me, although he may die, yet he shall live;
26 And whoever continues to live and believes in (has faith in, cleaves to, and relies on) Me shall never [actually] die at all. Do you believe this?
Eternal Life
We do not deny that the physical body can cease functioning. Rather, it is emphasized that the believer’s true life does not end. The believer passes from this earthly existence into the presence of God.
Practical Application
Because eternal life is already present within the believer, we are to resist death, sickness, and the works of the enemy, taking authority and declaring, “Death, get off my body.”
We are to pray and stand from a position of eternal life rather than from a position of fear.
God was described as one divine Being revealed in three Persons:
Sprit, Soul, and Body
- Father
- Son
- Holy Spirit
Human beings were described as one person with three aspects:
- Spirit
- Soul
- Body
Paul prayed that the whole spirit, soul, and body would be preserved blameless.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 (AMPC)
23 And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).
The Spirit
The born-again spirit:
- Is joined to the Lord
- Receives from God
- Knows spiritual truth
- Is the place of divine life
- Is intended to govern the rest of the person
The Soul
The soul includes:
- Mind
- Will
- Emotions
- Personality
- Awareness of the natural world
The soul must continually turn toward the spirit so that thoughts, emotions, and choices come into agreement with God.
The Body
The body is intended to follow the direction of the renewed soul.
The believer should speak to the body and require it to line up with God’s Word:
“Body, you will line up with the Word of God.”
The Proper Order
1. God speaks to the spirit.
2. The spirit governs the soul.
3. The soul directs the body.
4. The entire person comes into agreement with God
Dominion Begins Within
Adam’s Dominion
Adam’s dominion was visibly expressed over the earth, animals, and creation.
For the believer, dominion must first be exercised internally.
Take Dominion
Believers must take dominion over:
- Unrenewed thoughts
- Fear
- Confusion
- Emotional reactions
- Wrong desires
- The pressure of circumstances
- Physical symptoms
- Habits of speech
- Bondage imposed by the enemy
This does not mean ignoring reality. It means refusing to allow circumstances, emotions, or the body to become the ruling authority.
The born-again spirit, in agreement with the Word and the Holy Spirit, is to lead.
Conclusion
Christ Has Made Us Free
Galatians 5:1 (AMPC)
1 IN [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off].
Main application
If a believer does not feel free, something needs to be examined.
The enemy continually attempts to pull people back into forms of bondage such as:
- Fear
- Confusion
- Condemnation
- Control
- Mental pressure
- Emotional domination
- Religious slavery
- Old habits
- Dependence upon circumstances
The believer must awaken, recognize the bondage, take dominion, and return to the freedom Christ purchased.
Freedom is not merely a future promise. It is part of the believer’s present inheritance.
Scripture quotations are from the NIV, ESV, NKJV, AMP, and AMPC Bibles. Complete copyright acknowledgments and permissions can be viewed https://theprayerwhiteboard.com/copyright-disclaimers.
Original Content © 2026 The Prayer Whiteboard. All rights reserved.